ba‧ri‧um /ˈbeəriəm $ ˈber-/ noun [uncountable]
[Date: 1800-1900; Language: Greek; Origin: barytes 'weight']

1. a soft silver-white metal that is used to make pigments (=dry coloured powders used to make paints). It is a chemical element: symbol Ba.

2. a barium meal/enema/swallow a substance containing barium that you swallow or that is put in your bowels before you have an X-ray, because it makes the organs in your body easier to see

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲